NFL Player News

“Just how it’s family up there. The way the coaches coach. They show so much love to me and Maliek,” Fant said. “The way the program is run, there’s really not another place like Tennessee.” The “Maliek” that Fant references is safety Maliek Gray, a teammate at Lavergne High and a four-star recruit in his own right. The two aren’t necessarily tied at the hip as to their landing spot, with the 6-foot-3, 207-pound Fant saying, “Whatever happens happens. We might go our separate ways but I’d love to play with Maleik. We play high school together and he’s like my brother.” Gray’s leader in the clubhouse for a commitment at this time is Florida State. Fant is hoping to visit the Seminoles before he makes his decision.

Akers appears to have staged a takeover of Ty Chandler’s backup role, with Chandler not seeing a single offensive snap to Akers’ 16. Aaron Jones is always banged up and has dealt with a hip injury multiple times this year. Does this mean that Akers is one wrong Jones turn away from real fantasy value in the Kevin O’Connell offense? It sure seems like he’d at least be the main back on running downs in a committee. He’s a deep-league speculative pickup.

Thielen’s 21-day practice window was activated on October 23rd, so the Panthers have until November 13th to officially activate him. He was questionable this past week, with Dave Canales saying that he would not play on Friday. It’s also possible that Thielen could be traded before the deadline. Life offers you many different Adam Thielen possibilities sometimes. As of now, it would seem he’s unlikely to be ready against the Giants in Germany.

There’s some hope that Collins will be able to return for Week 10’s game against the Lions, but it doesn’t sound like Ryans is ready to fully commit to that idea. The second-year head coach said Collins is reaching speeds up to 20 miles per hour in training, which is encouraging, but added the team will “see where he is” in his recovery as the week progresses. Collins will be in line for a hefty target share whenever he returns to the field and would be a solid WR1 in Week 10 if active.

McVay said he didn’t think it was an “IR thing,” but Havenstein already missed Week 1 with an ankle issue earlier this year. Warren McClendon played in Havenstein’s place after he left Week 9’s game and will presumably fill in for him in Week 10 as well.

Parsons has missed the Cowboys’ last four games while recovering from a high-ankle sprain but appears set to return for Week 10 against the Eagles. This announcement comes just hours after it was revealed Dak Prescott (hamstring) would miss several weeks, which could make things tough for the 3-5 Cowboys. Parsons has totaled 14 tackles and one sack in the four games he’s appeared in this season. The Cowboys are currently allowing the second-most points per game (28.1) and the sixth-most yards per game (364.8), so Parsons’ return will be a welcomed one as Dallas looks to save its season.

He added “I’m not going down that road.” Rizzi will have to leave that road for Michael Thomas on X: The Everything App. Carr will remain an uninspiring fantasy QB2 against the Falcons in Week 10, but at least he won’t be Spencer Rattler.

Jarrett noted that the “tendon looked good” in his MRI and that he’s positive about his recovery. We’d expect a missed practice or two this week, but perhaps this will just be a minor injury for the Falcons’ longest-tenured defender.

It’s possible the Vikings will need to bring in a new kicker this week as Reichard missed multiple kicks against the Colts and was clearly in pain after he followed through for much of the night. The Vikings are also placing snapper of snaps longer than normal snaps Andrew DePaoloa on injured reserve with a hand injury.

A special teams coordinator who had the assistant head coach label added to his mantle in 2022, Rizzi has been with the Saints since 2019. The long-time Dolphins special teams coordinator has not been a head coach since he handled things for the 2008 Rhode Island Rams. We mostly expect the status quo to rule in New Orleans as the season peters out for the Saints, though Rizzi noted that “they’ll evaluate everything and see if changes are needed ... maybe change is needed” and called the product “unacceptable” at his initial presser.

Cooper’s deal includes $33 million in guaranteed money, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Cooper was a seventh-round pick of the Broncos back in 2021 and has carved out a nice career for himself thus far. He’s totaled 18.5 sacks in 56 career games and is sitting on 5.5 sacks through his first nine games of this season. He’s on pace to surpass last season’s 8.5 sack total — which set a new career high, and has been an instrumental piece of Sean Payton’s defense since Payton arrived in the Mile High City in 2023. Now secured through the 2028 season, Cooper will remain a key piece of the defense for years to come.